TikTok star Loren Gray opened up about being sexually assaulted as a child in a powerful new video.

On Friday (May 1), the 18-year-old, who is the second-most followed person on TikTok with 43 million followers, shared her "real" story with fans, detailing her experience with sexual assault and her struggle to understand how something this terrible could happen to her.

"This is me, over five years ago, not long before my 13th birthday," Gray began. "At this time, I had my innocence stolen from me in the basement of someone I trusted. I only told one person and to this day, she remains my best friend. We cried in my bathroom together for hours."

"I struggled to put the pieces together as to why this had happened to me," she continued. "It took two months for me to finally tell my parents. I felt dirty, hopeless, broken and worthless. I was confused and scared. I felt like it was my fault."

"I was always afraid to tell people my story, fearing people would view me differently and I would lose those I cared about," Gray explained. "I'm 18 now and I've realized that my past does not define me."

“It was never my fault, and I never deserved it. I came out stronger and I’m so proud of myself. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and if my story can help even ONE person, then to me it’s a story worth telling,” she said.

You can watch Gray's full TikTok video, below:

After sharing her story, the social media star thanks her fans in a note posted to Twitter. She also explained her decision to speak out, revealing wanted to come forward after receiving a message that "somehow someone knew."

"Although I hate that I felt forced into sharing this prematurely, I have no regrets because I am no longer ashamed," she wrote. "I hope that this can shed some light on the gravity of sexual assault, and provide some hope for anyone who can relate. Love you all so much. Thank you for listening."

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